Quick Collard Greens with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Red Wine Vinegar

collard-greens

Feeling sluggish? Need a healthy boost to your meat and potatoes diet? Even as much as I love starch and fats, I need the greens to keep things normalized and digestive system happy. Enter collard greens. These are a tough customer–they can be overly bitter and sometimes difficult to chew. However, cooking them over high heat with a splash of olive oil and leaving some water on them steams them, creating an end result bursting with flavor and texture.

Did I mention how happy red wine vinegar makes me? I am always so inspired when I see it, and I always think of Italian food–invariably, I will want to make some Italian dish just by seeing a bottle of it, regardless of brand.

Sclafani Red Wine Vinegar

Add in some red wine vinegar, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes, and you have yourself a side dish that would stand up in the finest restaurant around the globe, all in less than ten minutes. The red wine vinegar really mellows this dish out and enhances the flavor profile. This goes perfectly with pasta or any meat dish to round out the meal.

Quick Collard Greens w/ Garlic, EVOO, RW Vinegar

Quick Collard Greens with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Red Wine Vinegar

Leaving some water on allows the greens to quickly steam, while the vinegar, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes create an amazing flavor profile.
4.44 from 16 votes
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: collard green recipe, collard greens, crushed red pepper, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, garlic collard greens
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 225kcal

Equipment

  • stainless steel pot
  • wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch collard greens, rinsed
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp kosher or sea salt
  • 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • coursely ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Begin by rinsing collard greens well and shaking off excess water, but do not pat dry. Continue slicing the thickest part of the stem from each leaf off with a sharp chef's knife.
    slicing out stem of collard greens
  • You can also pull the leaves off the stem as you go to speed things up, slicing off any dark green pieces and adding them into your pile for cooking.
    Pulling collard green leave apart
  • You do not need to get rid of stems entirely, but should remove most of stem, as it can be tough and bitter.
    A nice pile of collard greens.
  • You should have a nice little pile of greens now. Pile them together, and begin slicing into small 1/4 inch strips. You can definitely go smaller here, but I get lazy on occasion.
  • Continue slicing lengthwise, then simply slice the piles of strips crosswise.
  • You will finish up with a lovely little pile of collard green bits. Just dice up any larger stray pieces.
  • Dice up some garlic. Adding a few steps here in case you have never diced garlic. Take a few cloves and place on cutting board, skins on.
    Garlic cloves with skins on.
  • Press down firmly with palm of your hand and the flat part of a chefs knife
    Palm down on knife and garlic cloves.
  • Remove the skins from the now pressed cloves. They will be easy to remove now.
    Skinless garlic cloves
  • Then simply dice crosswise and lengthwise with the knife, keeping your fingers curled inward with knuckles against the knife to avoid cuts.
    Diced garlic
  • Add the greens to your stainless steel or metal pot. You can probably use non-stick, but the stainless steel gets a great sear. Add the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes and toss well with a wooden spoon. Wait to add the vinegar until heated. Turn the burner to high heat and cover.
    Collard greens in pot ready to sear
  • After a few minutes on the heat, remove lid and stir with wooden spoon. Let them cook for about 6-8 minutes until nicely wilted. You can cook longer if you like them less firm. Uncover and remove from heat. Serve with love.

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal

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